Yahoo Lifestyle 11 Celebs Who Got Called Out By Their Own Parents Or Children
From sibling rivalries to parental dysfunction and financial chaos, every family has had a spat or two behind closed doors, but not every family publicly calls out their loved ones to make a point or get results. But some do. From noticeable snubs, to drag-out brawls, here are ten celebrities that have been blasted by their families, with the world watching.
1.Meghan Markle vs. Thomas Markle
Thomas and Meghan Markle were never the daddy-daughter duo that little girls dream of, but they never really seemed like daddy and daughter at all. And once she and Prince Harry announced their engagement, the dream was permanently deferred.
Thomas made headlines for hiding out in Mexico once the couple went public with the news. He claims it was because he couldn’t stand the spotlight. He did interviews with the press, then denied doing interviews with the press, then the Duchess of Sussex said, enough, and called him out in her 2021 Interview with Oprah. He responded by doing an exclusive interview with ITV's Good Morning Britain, with Piers Morgan no less, and told the world that he had never met Harry nor his grandson Prince Archie; that he hadn’t heard from Meghan and Harry; that he kept talking to the press to get their attention in hopes they would reach out; and that he’s overall “disappointed” by the entire situation. “When they decide to talk to me, I’ll stop talking to the press.”
2.Lindsay Lohan vs. Dina and Michael Lohan
We’ve all watched Lindsay Lohan engage in public spats with both her parents —Dina and Michael Lohan— but her relationship with the family patriarch was never solid after he separated from Lindsay’s mother for a second time, ultimately deciding to make things permanent.
Over the years, America’s once-favorite child star has been very open about seeing her parent’s drug use growing up, and sharing the ways that negatively impacted her life, but watching her father physically abuse her mother created a much deeper issue. Lindsay sat down with Daily Mail in 2016, and told the media outlet that her dad’s just around for the “attention.”
“My father is known for talking to the press and selling stories,” Lindsay said. “He loves the attention. In the past he’s said I’ve done drugs, he put my number on the internet…who does that? Some of the stuff he’s done proves to me he doesn’t care about me.”
As for Dina, well, she’s not innocent. In 2012, Dina and Lindsay aggressively went at it in front of their Long Island home. The red-headed star accused her mother of taking $40,000 and being a drugged-up and deadbeat parent. Police were called, but the lady Lohans were fine by the time they left. And nowadays, things might be rough at times, but at least they’re on speaking terms.
3.Britney Spears vs. Jamie and Lynne Spears
Brittney Spears’ dad, Jamie Spears, entered rehab in 2004, when the former Mickey Mouse Club star was 23. Three years later, the public watched as the teen-turned-pop icon shaved her head amidst a mental health crisis — and nothing was the same.
Spears’ dad petitioned the Los Angeles court system to place her under a temporary conservatorship, overseen by him. The courts allowed it, and later made it all permanent. For over a decade, Mr. Spears managed all decisions about the Grammy-winning singer’s career, estate, and financial affairs. That changed when he got sick in 2019. Spears said she was done living in captivity, and returned to the same courts that placed her under her father’s conservatorship to ask for her life back.
In December 2021 —two months after her father was removed as her conservator— Spears turned to Instagram to get a lot of things off her chest.
4.Miley Cyrus vs. Billy Ray Cyrus
Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus have been known to call each other out over the years, dating back to their Disney Channel days, but their daddy-daughter dynamic appeared to be healed (or healing) when Miley was asked to address their relationship on David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction in 2021. However, any reconciliation that may have happened around that time was short-lived because MC became #teammom when her parents finally divorced just a year later in 2022 — after years of back and forth. And that’s when things got interesting.
It didn’t go unnoticed that Miley unfollowed her dad on Instagram once her parent’s news broke. (And P.S.: MC still doesn’t follow him.) Then, earlier this year, the child star won a Grammy for Record of the Year. Her acceptance speech was short and sweet.
“Not everyone in the world will get a Grammy, but everyone in this world is spectacular. So please don’t think that this is important — Even though it’s very important, right, guys?”
She thanked her mom, boyfriend, one of her sisters, and basically everyone involved in the song, including her producers’ wives and fiancées, but noticeably left her dad out of the “thank yous.” “We are very excited. I want to thank everyone who is standing on the stage. I don’t think I forgot anyone, but I might have forgotten underwear. Bye.”
5.Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian vs. Kris Jenner
When it comes to these four, where do I start? The Kardashians have spent the past 17 years sharing their lives on television, so we can all agree we’ve seen a lot, including the ups and downs. And when members of the Kardashian crew are down, they’re down bad.
Koko’s repeatedly blasted her mom, Kris Jenner, for not being the momager she needs — claiming KJ only cares about Kim. From missed meetings to appearance no-shows, Khloé’s been done with her mom as her manager multiple times. Her most recent grievance occurred during Kardashians, Season 4. Jenner tried to entice Khloé into starting a podcast, but she wasn’t entertaining any of it.
But as much as Kris and Khloé go at it, so do Kim and Kourtney. And if “competition” was a person, these two would be it.
Keeks has continuously accused Kourtney of being lazy and not wanting to work. Kourt let her sister know she “works my f-ing ass off,” she just doesn’t want to work on the show. (To Kourtney’s defense, she expressed she didn’t want to be involved with the show —on any network— ages ago.)
Then, during Season 18, their spats went from verbal to violent, real quick. Kourtney told Kim she had enough, and walked towards her while she was sitting on the ground. Kourt grabs her younger sister (I know, right!) and digs her nails into her arm. But the fight didn’t end before Kimmy Cakes got her licks in, too: kicking her sister in the groin and slapping her across the face.
6.Amanda Bynes vs. Rick and Lynn Bynes
Amanda Bynes became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after teen stars after she made her big-time television debut on Nickelodeon’s All That! She was the California girl that everyone grew to love, but she stopped feeling so loveable at some point.
For context, during the summer of 2013, Bynes engaged in a series of bizarre acts: walking naked through the streets of Los Angeles, tweeting Drake for sex, and claiming someone was walking around Manhattan, posing as her. She was also arrested for marijuana possession (before it was legal) and drunk driving. This all eventually led to her being committed to a psychiatric facility on an involuntary 5150 hold.
A year later, Bynes accused her father, Rick Bynes, of molesting and verbally and physically abusing her. She’s since recanted all of her statements, but her mother, Lynn Bynes, decided to break her silence and let the public know her daughter’s claims were “baseless,” and that her daughter’s statements stemmed from “her mental state at the moment.”
The former Amanda Show host was eventually released from the facility, and later enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. However, Bynes was arrested for a DUI during a stint in California in the fall of 2014. When contacted, her parents told the press they only knew about her latest legal woes because they saw it in the news.
7.Aoki Lee Simmons vs. Russell Simons
If you thought things were all good in the Simmons’ household, then you got a rude awakening last fall.
Aoki Lee Simmons is grown, just like her sister, Ming Lee, but that doesn’t stop her from always wanting to call her dad. But as much as the Harvard grad would love to ring her father when she needs help, she can’t. Aoki went on IG Live in September 2023 and crashed out on her dad for yelling at her if she needed help with things at school, turning off her bank cards, verbally abusing her and Ming and their mother, and not being available as a dad.
Her Lives have since been deleted, but her rant included a Facetime Video conversation of her and her dad going at it, and her begging her dad to leave her and the rest of the family alone.
I’m not sure where they’ve ended up as a united, but I’m assuming the girls are still #teammom all day.
8.Shiloh and Zahara Jolie vs. Brad Pitt
White Brad Pitt's kids haven't straight-up called him out, dropping his last name is a not-so-subtle shot at their dad. Shiloh Jolie and Pitt’s relationship is complicated. The now 18-year-old was the first biological child between Pitt and Jolie’s mom, Angelina Jolie.
While they seemed happy at the time, Angelina filed for divorce in 2016. The reason? Jolie accused Pitt of choking her and hitting one of their children on a private plane from France to California.
Once all the paperwork was filed, all of Jolie and Pitt’s children seemed to side with their mother. (But to be clear, the divorce still isn’t final.)
During the fall of 2023, Zahara Jolie-Pitt (who publicly goes by Zahara Jolie) joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first Black, Greek organization established in 1908. But when she announced herself, she only used her mom’s last name when identifying herself, and not her father’s.
Less than a year later, Shiloh petitioned a Los Angeles court to allow her to legally drop “Pitt” from her name, and solely be known as Shiloh Jolie. The court approved the request.
9.North West vs. Kim Kardashian
If you want to see our bestie, Ms. North Westie, calling out her super famous mom, just watch any season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (after October 2013, of course) or The Kardashians, Kim K’s Instagram, North’s TikTok, or read any of their mother-daughter interviews. I mean, really, she holds nothing back.
From the public’s perspective, North’s not-so-cool-mom call-outs started just a few months after the inaugural “no pictures, please” moment with the paparazzi. The then-2-year-old was minding her baby business when Kim tried to take a video of her.
North immediately let her mom know the rule wasn’t just to rein in the paps, it was made for her, too!
Northie is also known for questioning her mom’s fashion choices, but the pre–teen’s latest critique came during a sit-down with Interview magazine, where she put Kim on blast for not cooking for her or her siblings in two years. Both agree the last supper shared—mac n’ cheese, fried chicken, and cornbread—was good, but North says her mom’s best dish is cucumbers with salt. (I’ll let you sit with that.) And when asked what kind of mom Kim is, Ms. Westie simply said, she's not a cool mom, she's a "cringe mom."
Then there’s that time Kim broke down because North said she prefers living with her dad over her.
During Season 2 of The Kardashians, Kimmy told her oldest sister, Kourtney, that North thinks her dad is the best because “he doesn't have a nanny, he doesn't have a chef, he doesn't have security. He lives in an apartment.”
Talk about shots fired.
10.Elon Musk vs. Vivian Jenna Wilson
Elon Musk is in a category all his own. While he recently dubbed himself America’s “first buddy,” his daughter has dubbed him her family’s absent father.
Wilson doesn’t appear in the public eye much, but she made headlines in 2022 when she asked a court to allow her to legally change her name and drop “Musk” from her identity. “I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape or form,” she said in the court filing.
Over this past summer, Musk tweeted about Wilson’s transgender journey, and said she is “not a girl” and is “dead” to him. So, Wilson responded by giving an exclusive interview about her thoughts on her dad to NBC News.
“I think he was under the assumption that I wasn’t going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged,” she told the news outlet via phone. “Which I’m not going to do, because if you’re going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, I’m not just gonna let that slide.”
When asked about her relationship with Musk growing up, she didn’t have anything much better to say. “He was cold. He’s very quick to anger. He is uncaring and narcissistic.”
11.Brian McKnight vs. His Eldest Children
Brian McKnight hasn’t claimed his four eldest children —Brian Jr., Niko, Briana, and Clyde McKnight— in years. He’s dragged them in Twitter rants, berated them on IG Live, and called them “evil” and a “product of sin” without hesitation.
His son Niko responded by commenting under a post of McKnight’s rant on The Shaderoom. “I’m evil. That’s wild: The guy who used to make me clean his used condoms out his bathroom at 15 before Lisa got home is calling me evil Fashoooooo.”
And during October 2023, the 2000s R&B singer took to Instagram to announce a new album, and his new name: Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight, Sr. He told fans he changed his name so that he could match the name of legacy, Brian Kainoa Makoa Mcknight, Jr. That was a definite blow to his eldest son, Brian Jr. So, like his father, he opened Instagram and jumped on his Stories.
"All we can do is pray for that man, and my new little brother, who we will all welcome with open arms one day, once he realizes who his real family is," he wrote. "Legacy isn’t in the name. It’s in the character of the people. It will all be quite clear soon, just who’s on the right side of all this, because there’s no escaping what’s coming.”
